- NCAA. March Madness: Paige Bueckers makes history with UConn before challenging Caitlin Clark in the WNBA
- WNBA. The most valuable women's sports card ever? Caitlin Clark just made history
Caitlin Clark's rookie season with the Indiana Fever was a game-changer, but not everyone's giving her the props she deserves-and it's stirring up some serious drama. Bleacher Report's latest Top 20 WNBA players list, dropped in late March 2025, has Clark sitting at No. 5-behind A'ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart, and Alyssa Thomas.
National analyst Rachel DeMita didn't hold back on her Courtside Club podcast, calling it straight-up unfair treatment. "Caitlin's changing the game, but the standards for her are unreal," she said, arguing Clark's revolutionary impact deserves more love than a mid-tier ranking-especially when 5x All-Star Alyssa Thomas ends up as collateral damage in the debate.
Clark's stats are bonkers-19.2 points, a league-high 8.4 assists, and two triple-doubles as a rookie, plus a record-smashing 337 assists in 2024. She finished fourth in MVP voting-higher than Thomas at fifth-yet DeMita's ranting that Clark's turnovers and defense knocks are overshadowing her magic.
"As much as people harp on Caitlin about turnovers and not having rings, I just want to bang this mic against my head," she vented, pointing to Clark's 265% attendance boost and 1,000% team store sales spike for the Fever. X fans are split-some cheer, "She's the future-give her No. 1!" while others shrug, "Thomas earned her spot, chill."
Analyst slams Clark's unfair treatment
Alyssa Thomas, the Connecticut Sun's gritty forward, isn't exactly basking in this-she's stuck in the middle. With 10.6 points per game but stellar efficiency and playmaking (7.9 assists), she's a vet who's paid her dues-five All-Star nods and a Finals run in 2022 say it all. Yet DeMita's bold stance paints her as a victim of Clark's hype train.
"Thomas is reliable, but Clark's revolutionary," DeMita argued, not knocking Thomas but framing Clark as the snubbed star. X chatter's buzzing-one quipped, "Alyssa's getting dragged into Caitlin's drama-leave her out of it!"
The Fever's playoff clash with the Sun last year adds spice-Thomas muscled past Clark, but Caitlin still dropped 25 points in Game 2, nearly flipping the script. DeMita's callout isn't just hot air-Clark's pulling 1.19 million viewers per ESPN game, shattering norms, while Thomas grinds in the shadows. "Growth's part of it-why punish her?" DeMita asked, pushing back on the double standard.